Why Practice Yoga? What's all the fuss about yoga, and should you really be doing it?
by Bethany Ivy Given how passionate I am about yoga, I'm not sure why I've never devoted a post to it before. I genuinely believe that yoga is such an important and healthy practice, and that everyone can benefit from it. I'm by no means an expert, but I've been practising yoga for a couple of years now. I'd like to share the benefits that yoga has, along with some examples of the ways it has helped me personally. There are three main ways in which I believe yoga can benefit us physically, mentally and spiritually. But first...
What is yoga? Most of us think we know what yoga is it's about contorting ourselves into funny shapes, right?! But yoga is so much more than a physical practice. I've heard it described as a ‘science of life’, and I think this is pretty accurate. Bear in mind that there are many different yoga traditions and techniques, which I don't have the space to go into here. Suffice it to say that there's more to it than just postures. Breathing exercises, relaxation and mental focus are yoga too. Once again, it's a way of life rather than a type of exercise.
Physical benefits of yoga
benefits for the physical body. What these benefits are depends on what type of yoga it is, how often you practice and so on. The main ones are increased flexibility and stronger muscles, but there are also some more unexpected ones like improved balance. Yoga has really improved my posture by making me aware of when I'm slouching. I work at a computer, and my posture used to be pretty terrible. But these days, it's much improved. I've definitely noticed all the benefits I listed above, and I've become able to do poses I would never have imagined I was capable of, like crow pose and half headstands. I'm now toned rather than ‘skinnyfat’! Yoga has tremendous benefits for the treatment of many health complaints. It helps with digestion by stimulating the digestive organs, and when done mindfully can ease joint and muscle pain. It's also good for menstrual cramps and so much more. I use yoga to treat the repetitive strain injury I get in my hands from using the computer a lot. It's great for relieving muscle tension too.
Having said all that, it's undeniable that yoga does have
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